He hoped wherever she was going, someone was waiting for her. It irked him that the thought of that made his stomach drop. He brushed it off. Must be that breakfast wasn’t agreeing with him.
For he had no time for a woman. Especially a fiery Englishwoman like this one.
10
The next days on the train passed fairly uneventfully. Victoria slept, read, explored any town where they stopped (taking care not to wander on her own), and made friends with some of the young mothers and their children. Victoria got on particularly well with a woman named Maisie and her two-year-old son, Archie, who were traveling to meet Maisie’s husband, Gilbert.
Maisie’s son looked just like her, all red hair and freckles, particularly when he smiled wide into his chubby cheeks. They were nearly a week into their cross-country travels one morning when they sat outside the train on a grassy hill as they waited at the stop. Archie played at their feet as they discussed their destinations.
“I am traveling there as well!” Victoria exclaimed when Maisie told her Gilbert had established a home near Qu'Appelle. She had meant to keep her destination unclear, but Maisie would find out when they disembarked together. “My Aunt Sarah settled there with her husband. He’s passed now, but I’m to live with her.”
“That’s wonderful,” said Maisie with equal enthusiasm as she grasped Victoria’s hands in her own. “Gilbert has set up a homestead close to town so we shouldn’t be many miles away from each other. We are going to farm the land. We have no idea what we are doing, but it will be an adventure if nothing else. How about you? Why are you here alone? Or are you actually with the handsome Callum? We were all guessing but we weren’t sure. You seemed friendly enough but still polite. Where are you from? Why are you here?”
“Oh,” said Victoria, when Maisie finally stopped her questioning to take a breath. She remembered her story, that her parents had passed and had wanted her to live with her aunt. It was partially true. But Maisie seemed like a truly genuine person, Victoria didn’t have many close friends, and she desperately longed for someone she could talk to. She found the words of the lie wouldn’t form on her lips.
“Well, I’m from England. My stepfather wanted me to marry, you see, as I have a bit of an inheritance.” She didn’t think a small white lie would hurt, and so continued. “He and the man who became my fiancé hatched a plan for me to be married and then to split the money that would be released once I was wed. So I decided to escape. My aunt lives in Qu'Appelle, so here I am. But please, Maisie, don’t say anything to anyone. Word cannot get back to England that I’m here.”
“My goodness, that’s some excitement,” said Maisie wistfully, her eyes wide as she stared at Victoria. “Who is your fiancé?”
“My fiancé was the Duke of Lansing.”
“A duke! The Duke of Lansing? I feel as if I have heard that name. Was there not some sort of scandal involving him?”
“It’s said he killed his wife, though they never proved it. But I’m inclined to believe it is the truth and I was certainly not going to risk it. You should see his estate. All of his servants just tiptoe around him, and it’s cold and dark and just awful. I think it would have taken all of the life right out of me. I believe it would for anyone. I was there for about two days prior to the wedding and already I could feel the coldness creeping into my bones. But I’m here now, so let’s not talk of England, but of the Northwest Territories and the future ahead.”
“I do hope you find happiness in this new land,” said Maisie, although Victoria could tell she had a hard time masking her excitement at the drama of Victoria’s story. She was obviously bursting to ask more questions but seemed able to tell Victoria had said all she would about her past. “I’m afraid it may have taken Gilbert some time to learn the ways of farming, but he promised the house would be built by our arrival.”
“Well, we will have to be sure to spend much time together as we become accustomed to this new place,” said Victoria with a smile. “I can help you with Archie whenever you need.”
“And I’ll help find you a husband!” Maisie said excitedly. “How fun that would be.”
“No husbands.” Victoria laughed. “I am quite content on my own, thank you.”
“You may think that,” said Maisie with a raised eyebrow and a dreamy, far-off gaze. “But a man can be nice sometimes, for many reasons. And what about Callum? My, Victoria, I love my Gilbert, but Callum is the most magnificent man I have ever seen. I don’t believe I have ever, in my entire life, seen so much strength in a man. And yet he is sweet! Archie loves him and Archie doesn’t like most men.”
“Oh yes, I suppose he’s very nice,” said Victoria, biting her lip, for she was beginning to feel the same way as Maisie, despite her reservations. “However, I do not think he cares for me in the way you’re suggesting. He has made atrocious assumptions about me, and if he would like to believe as he does, then so be it. And while he hasn’t shared much, my guess is that he is preparing for a woman to join him, wherever he’s going.”
“He’s mysterious, then, too!” said Maisie, laughing. “How perfect! Victoria, you must pursue him, and see what happens. Whatever could you lose?”
“My dignity. My self-respect. My heart,” Victoria said with a sigh.
“Well nothing that cannot be fixed,” said Maisie in her naturally cheerful style. “I say, take him, Victoria!”
Victoria couldn’t help but laugh at her new friend.
"Toooorrrr-yaaa!”
They were interrupted by Archie, who was done playing with his wooden blocks on a blanket at their feet and ready for more entertainment. He couldn’t seem to sit still for long, but his presence on the train was entertaining and certainly made the days go by more quickly.
“Yes, Archie?”
“Play with me!” He threw a block at her.
“Archie, no!” said Maisie, who loved her son but was finding it difficult to entertain him for so many days in a closed-in space.
“Play, Mummy!” He threw one at Maisie.
“Young lad, that is quite enough time with the ladies.” Callum swooped in and picked the boy up. “Come, Archie, time for you to spend some time with the men.” He effortlessly bundled Archie under his arm and spun him in circles as the horn blew, signaling a warning to re-board. Archie squealed with laughter.
“Thank you, Callum,” said Maisie with a smile of relief, before turning her gaze to Victoria, raising an eyebrow to her as she looked Callum’s way. Victoria just smiled and shook her head.
As Callum carried Archie up the steps back onto the train, Maisie and Victoria packed up the blanket and moved on to daydreams about life in Qu'Appelle as they re-boarded and settled back into their seats.
Victoria couldn’t help that those dreams now included the presence of a certain tall, handsome Highlander.
* * *
In the dining car, currently set for entertainment, Callum was letting Archie help him with his poker game. The stakes were low, as none of them had much to play with. With a little skill and bit of luck, Callum had been rather successful throughout the ride west, although he wasn’t sure how well he’d do with a boisterous little boy on his knee.
He had been waiting to see where Victoria would depart the train as they made their many stops along the journey, but here she stayed. Many times he had nearly asked where she was going, but that would lead to returning questions about why he was here, where he was from, and where he was headed. He preferred to keep his motives to himself. Becoming close to Victoria would not help with any of his objectives and would only complicate matters when the time came to return to Scotland.
He was happy Victoria had found Maisie to bond with. She was spending more time with the other women as they kept some distance from one another. They had silently agreed it was best, after they realized others mistakenly took them for a couple. The space between them sat, tense and immoveable, like it were an actual physical object. Distance, however, also kept him from imagining an imposs
ible future. Victoria was not a woman he should be dreaming about.
For she was a woman he could fall for, and that was simply not an option.
* * *
As the train chugged west, Victoria and Callum developed a polite ease around one another. When they did speak, it was cordial. Callum spent most of his time in the dining car with the other men, but much of the time, his mind was filled with Victoria. He could hear her voice from across a train car, could smell the lemon scent she had managed to maintain throughout the journey whenever she drew near. When she sat beside him, he longed to take her hand in his, to stroke her cheek or the softness of her hair. But he refrained. He had no other choice.
She hadn’t shared her story with him as yet, and his instinct told him she had one to tell. At least by keeping quiet he knew she wasn’t lying to him. Not that he had been completely open and honest with her, but how could he explain the complications of his life? Still, they were beginning to develop an unspoken trust that he didn’t want to break by pushing her.
“Archie is getting restless,” Victoria told him one afternoon as they sat together on the train. She had changed from her dress to a blouse and pleated skirt, which appeared more comfortable but didn’t hide the curves he knew would perfectly fit within his hands.
“We played hide-and-seek again, but it’s becoming harder all the time. There aren’t many places to hide in a train car! And Archie was quite upset he couldn’t find his best hiding spot.”
Callum laughed, thinking of the day before, when Archie was so proud of finding a place to hide behind Callum’s broad back. Victoria had pretended not to see him until he became restless and began making noises to her.
“There are fewer and fewer people for Archie to hide behind,” Callum remarked, referring to the train that continued to empty the farther west they traveled. Though people disembarked along the way, it was rare that anyone boarded.
“True,” she agreed, smiling with him. “It’s been an entertaining few days with the boy, and Maisie certainly seems to appreciate some help in watching over him. It’s been lovely of you to spend time with him.”
Victoria’s smile faded as she looked out the window. She seemed to become more despondent the longer they remained on board.
“What is the matter?” Callum asked, not enjoying the frown on her face. He preferred her eyes lit up with excitement and laughter.
“It’s so…”
“Open? Free? Fresh?”
“Dreary,” she finished, scowling out the window.
“Oh, cheer up,” said Callum, who was fighting his own inner doubt about the land, missing the rolling green Highlands. The difference was, he would be returning while this would be home for Victoria. Gone were the blue lakes, the green backdrop of stops farther east. The prairies were flat, empty, and desolate “Imagine all that can grow here. It’s a new beginning. And it’s spring. Winter has left everything slightly bleak, but you can see the leaves growing and the flowers preparing to burst to life.”
She raised an eyebrow at him, obviously still in doubt, but offered a forced smile.
“Thank you, Callum,” she said.
“For what?”
“For caring.”
Caring. Exactly what he shouldn’t do.
11
Victoria and Callum sat next to one another in near silence but for the clanking of the train wheels over the tracks and the hiss of the brakes as the train slowly eased into the station — the last on the line. Those disembarking here could be going anywhere west in the Northwest Territories and it was a vast expanse of land, at least from what Victoria could tell from the map.
She peered out the window as she caught her first glimpse of the small one-room station, which had a few plank boards out front that led down to the muddy road. Sarah had written to Victoria just last year about the building of the station, but her description had made it seem much more glorious than it actually turned out to be. It didn’t even hold the rather large number of people currently awaiting their friends and family. Victoria strained her neck to find Aunt Sarah through the window, but she couldn’t see her anywhere.
“Well,” Victoria finally said as she turned from the window to look at Callum, whose face had taken a stoic, serious countenance. “I suppose this is goodbye. Have a pleasant trip, wherever you’re off to. It has been… interesting knowing you.”
She quickly turned back to the window before he could see the tears gathering in her eyes. Why this goodbye was affecting her so much, she didn’t know. She had only known the man for three weeks, for goodness sake — and he’d been so rude when they first met that she hadn’t even liked him for the longest time. Though she must admit that she had been attracted to him from the start.
He clearly had his reasons for coming west and had no apparent interest in sharing them with her, which could only mean there was a woman waiting for him. She should appreciate the friendship they had developed, she told herself.
One thing was for certain — she knew now that there was a man out there who could make the heat rush through her and her heart beat faster. One whom she wanted more than she would ever like to admit, even to herself.
She consoled herself with the thought that perhaps there would be another like Callum in Qu'Appelle — another Scot with an easy laugh, a caring heart, broad shoulders, and thick thigh muscles apparent through his clothing. And if there was not, what did it matter? She had told herself time and again that it was of no consequence whether she ever married anyway — and would likely be for the best if she didn’t.
“Victoria,” he said softly and when placed a hand gently on her shoulder a tremor raced through from his touch down to the tips of her toes. “We’ll cross paths again if it’s meant to be. Take care of yourself, lass.”
By the time she blinked back her tears and turned around, he was gone.
* * *
Callum cursed himself as he scanned the crowd that had gathered at the station. He should have said something. Done something. But what? Kissed her? He would have either insulted her or created false expectations. He wasn’t here to stay, so it would do nothing but bring him fleeting satisfaction and that just wasn’t fair — to either of them. He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair and tried to focus on his true purpose in Qu’Appelle and forget about the woman he had left on the train, despite the fact that he could still smell lemons and see her face everywhere he looked.
The station was small. There was a short platform, and a building which housed a ticket counter, and a minuscule waiting room with a few benches. People had gathered outside, where the air was crisp, but with a warm wind from the south signaling that the late spring should hopefully soon turn to summer.
People looked at him with interest, as they did with most passengers, taking stock of who was new to the area. He figured the train brought the most excitement this place had had for days.
A large hand grasped his shoulder.
“Callum?”
He turned. “Aye,” he replied, looking up to the man’s face before scanning him up and down.
The tall, thin man was dressed in a red jacket. His tall brown hat dipped low on his forehead, his blue pants were striped in red, and his brown boots completed the outfit. It was colorful compared to the clothing Callum had seen on his journey and brought back warm thoughts of the bright plaids of Scotland.
“I’m Angus McLaren, from the North-West Mounted Police,” the man said with a Scottish burr as thick as Callum’s own. His angular cheekbones and weather-beaten skin outlined a serious face, but his smile for Callum was pleasant enough.
“Pleased to meet you finally,” said Callum, who had come to know Angus through letters they had exchanged for the past few months.
“Aye, although the circumstances are unfortunate,” replied Angus with the stoic reserve that seemed to be a requirement for all in law enforcement.
“My hope is a positive outcome,” Callum responded, swallowing back the lump in his throat.<
br />
“I’ve made the arrangements you requested,” Angus explained as he led Callum to the fence where a few horses were tied to the posts. “It’s not something the force would typically do, but for a fellow countryman I’m happy to have gone beyond the requirements. I’ve brought you a horse. He’s spirited but fast. You can pay Mr. Johnson for both the horse and your lodging. He and his wife run the boarding house in Qu'Appelle. They will keep a tab for ye until the time comes when you wish to return home.”
The horse Angus had chosen seemed sturdy enough, and Callum would soon test his speed. He secured his few belongings in the saddlebags and mounted his horse. “Aye, then,” he said to Angus, who had mounted a gray stallion, as tall and thin as he was. “Away we go.”
* * *
Victoria helped Maisie collect her things, and held Archie’s hand as they made their way down the platform.
“Oh, there’s Gilbert!” said Maisie as she began waving excitedly at a man in the crowd. He was an average looking man — brown hair, brown eyes, regular height and build, and dressed like the rest of the farmers in dark pants, a vest over his shirt and a handkerchief tied around his neck.
Maisie turned toward Victoria and threw her arms around her. “I shall come visit you soon, I promise!”
Victoria gave Archie a quick hug and kiss goodbye before watching Maisie run into the arms of the man she hadn’t seen in over a year, Archie trailing behind her. Victoria felt a touch of envy, but told herself to keep moving. She loved her freedom more than she ever could a man. She remembered England — always having someone constantly telling her what she could do, could not do, where she could go or not go. A husband would only replace her stepfather, from whom she had traveled halfway across the world to escape. It was nauseating to think of a man controlling her like that again.
Callum’s Vow: The Victorian Highlanders Page 7